Discover Biodiversity In Olympic National Park During BioBlitz 2016

In yet another way to encourage Americans to #FindYourPark, Olympic National Park is holding a BioBlitz on May 20th and 21st in three regions of the nation’s 7-th most-visited National Park. During those two days, Olympic is going to be holding 11 events that highlight the amazing biodiversity of the region. From the Elwha to the Hoh, and the areas around the Port Angeles Visitor Center, this event is an awesome way to help explore nature, help scientists and get to know your local park even better.

The best part of this: All events are free of charge!

Sure, some events require advance registration but that shouldn’t stop anyone from attending! Olympic National Park would like you to know that previous experience and science backgrounds are not required! Show up, have fun and learn about the awesomeness of Olympic.

“There’s no better way to celebrate the Centennial than joining with our neighbors and visitors to discover and record the amazing biodiversity within Olympic National Park,” said Olympic National Park Superintendent Sarah Creachbaum. “A BioBlitz is like a treasure hunt, where people of all ages and backgrounds help us find and photograph as many species as possible.”

According to the press release issued by Olympic National Park, the “BioBlitz is a 24-hour event that brings together scientists, students, families and community members to find and identify as many living species of organisms as possible.”

This year, in celebration of the National Park Service Centennial, over 100 national parks across the country are joining the BioBlitz to create a snapshot of biodiversity across the country. This year’s Bioblitz in Olympic National Park is sure to have something for everyone. In the Hoh, you can learn about tall trees from Ph.Ds, participate in a flashmob in Port Angeles, hear stories about totem animals, and even help inventory moss in the rainforest. That is just the beginning though, as there are numerous events on each day for visitors of all ages.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, May 20

Young children with adults are invited to join park rangers and youth librarians for a special story time in the Olympic National Park Visitor Center Discovery Room. This story time will help children up to age six discover biodiversity and the amazing variety of animals around the world. No advance registration needed.

Join experts J.D. Herndon and Dennis Strenge in attracting and counting as many moths and nighttime pollinators as possible. This event will begin with a short presentation indoors and then move outside the visitor center where participants will help scientists use lights and white sheets to attract moths. Participants will help identify and photograph moths and will use iNaturalist to upload results to the nationwide BioBlitz database.

7:00 p.m. Discover Mosses of the Hoh Rain Forest with Dr. Judy Harpel

Hoh Rain Forest Campground Amphitheater

From the forest floor to treetops 250 feet high, Olympic’s rain forests harbor an amazing diversity of mosses, lichens and liverworts. Dr. Judy Harpel, Bryophyte Curator, Beaty Biodiversity Museum, University of British Columbia will present a richly illustrated evening program showcasing this diversity. This presentation will provide an introduction to the moss inventories scheduled for the following day. Free. No advance registration required.

Saturday, May 21

Former Lake Aldwell

9:00-12 a.m and 1-3 pm. Bee, Pollinator and Plant Inventory in the Former Lake Aldwell with Bee experts J.D. Herndon and Houston Guy

Parking area at the north end of Lake Aldwell Road

Join bee experts to discover and document the diversity of bees and other insect pollinators in the former Lake Aldwell. This area was submerged by a reservoir for nearly a century. Removal of the Elwha Dam in 2012 released the lake and restored the free-flowing river. In the years since, plant life has been restored to the area and with it, pollinators and other animals. Collect, count and identify as many pollinators as possible and the plants on which they can be found. Explore the restoration of biodiversity in the Elwha Valley. Free. Advance registration required: http://bit.ly/1XYZmiJ Smartphone with free iNaturalist app will be helpful.

Hoh Rain Forest

Join a team of scientists to examine the details of a single giant Douglas fir in the Hoh rain forest. How big is it? How old is it? How much carbon does it store? What’s living on its trunk, in its canopy and in its roots? Find out the answers to these questions and more, and learn how scientists gather this information. (Hint: do you like to climb trees?) Free. Advance registration required: http://bit.ly/1O1xnJB. Binoculars or a spotting scope will be helpful.

11:30 a.m. Moss Inventory with Scientist Judy Harpel

Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center

What better place to inventory mosses than the Hoh rain forest? Join moss expert Dr. Judy Harpel to discover, identify and record as many species of moss as possible. Free. Advance registration required:http://bit.ly/1O1xt3Y. Smartphone with free iNaturalist app will be helpful.

Join a team of scientists to discover what life can be found in the canopy of a single giant Douglas fir tree. Scientists will climb the tree and bring down samples for close examination. Participants will help examine, count and identify as many species as possible. Free. Advance registration required:http://bit.ly/1SzSeJl. Binoculars or spotting scope and a smartphone with free iNaturalist app will be helpful.

Olympic National Park Visitor Center

3002 Mount Angeles Road, Port Angeles

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ‘Mosaic of Diversity’ film shown throughout the day

Stop by the Olympic National Park Visitor Center any time between 9 and 4 and see the park’s award-winning film ‘Mosaic of Diversity’. This 20-minute film is an introduction to Olympic and focuses on the remarkable biological and cultural diversity of this vast wilderness park.

10:00 a.m. BioBlitz Dance Flashmob

Join the Girl Scouts, Boys & Girls Club and park staff in celebrating biodiversity with the BioBlitz Dance! Park rangers will teach and lead the dance, and a special instructional video is available at https://youtu.be/SZXpyUGj0fQ. The moves are simple, and will help everyone feel their ‘inner wild animal’! Everyone’s invited to join the fun! Free. All ages. No advance registration required.

Join tribal storyteller Roger Fernandez to discover a cultural perspective on biodiversity as he shares stories about the totem animals of the Elwha Klallam people. Free. All ages. No advance registration required.

12:00 p.m. Discovery Walks on Peabody Creek

This inventory is designed especially for kids accompanied by an adult to discover, count and identify living organisms along the Peabody Creek Trail. Local experts will guide this walk and help kids find and identify as many living things as possible.